Mallorca tourism row: London trip under fire
Mallorca’s tourism pressures are at the centre of a row over taxpayers’ money: on 4 November, the island’s Socialists accuse the Mallorca Island Council of promoting itself at London’s World Travel Market instead of tackling overcrowding at home. Council member Andreu Serra, of the Socialist party PSIB, says the delegation is too large and brings nothing positive to the island. He accuses council president Llorenç Galmés of putting political publicity ahead of Mallorca’s problems.
Firefighters hand out leaflets
Serra says the taxpayer-funded delegation includes members of Mallorca’s fire service who have handed out leaflets in the street. He argues that the council has missed a chance to make the case for tourism management that better meets the island’s needs.
Questions over illegal holiday lets
The PSIB also challenges the council’s claims about removing online adverts for illegal holiday accommodation. Serra says the council has offered no results that can be checked, and that many of the offers continue to appear on other platforms.
He says the council has not closed any illegally operated accommodation. Despite repeated questions, most recently at an October council meeting, it has not said how many enforcement cases have expired, he adds.
The PSIB wants Galmés to focus on tourism overcrowding and illegal accommodation rather than publicity at international fairs.
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com